Pakistan

Current issues and comments...

Yet another sad news! A passenger plane of a private company crashed this forenoon in Margalla Hills, North of Islamabad. The plane was about to land at Islamabad airport. It took off from Karachi about a couple of hours earlier, around 0800 hours. It carried 150 plus passengers including the air crew. All of them are reported to have died with their bodies scattered all over the inaccessible Margalla Hills. Over a hundred bodies have been recovered. The black box of the plane has also been found out.

The plane is reported to be flying in No Fly Zone. Soon after the crash, Federal Home Minister made an irresponsible statement that five passengers had been found alive and evacuated to the hospitals. Later, the statement was found to be baseless and the minister had to correct it. A cabinet meeting was in progress which was called off on hearing the news of the plane crash. The Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and the Defense Minister opted to fly in the same helicopter over the scene of the accident. The pilot of the plane is reported to have reached Karachi this morning flying another plane from Turkey. He was over 65. An inquiry has been ordered which like all other such like inquiries is not likely to be made public.

The response of the nation was very positive. A number of residents individually and also as part of various organization collectively immediately moved to the scene of the crash and put in their bit to evacuate the dead bodies and search for the survivors. Helicopters, too, were there on the scene within minutes and played a major role in rescue operations. However, there was lack of coordination among various agencies while undertaking the rescue operations.

The prime minister states that if the present coalition government fails no force will succeed in running the country. Does it mean a confession on part of the worthy prime minister that the present government is certainly not successfully running the affairs of the state and that it is heading towards failure, if it has not already failed? The prime minister is also claiming that the present coalition government is composed of the best set of people to run the government and that if the best can't succeed how could the second best. He may be right. After all this is the government, people of Pakistan happen to have voted to power a couple of years ago. If the best are corrupt and are resorting to nepotism, and are unable to control price hike, improve law and order, follow the verdicts of judiciary, resolve the issue of load shedding and so on, how could the second best do it. The present state of affairs is perfectly in line with the divinely words that people get the rulers of the type they themselves are. So, let us reflect as to what we are doing in our individual capacities. Our criticism of the situation and the government/rulers is not going to do any good either to us or to our country.